1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to water beds, and more particularly to an improved baffle for restricting wave motion within a water-filled mattress of a water bed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A disadvantage of a conventional water bed is that the water-filled mattress often is subjected to transverse wave action or sloshing which can be a disturbance to the user. Until this invention there were basically two techniques for reducing wave action in a water mattress. One approach was to seal vinyl baffles such as barriers, floats, or pods within the vinyl mattress to reduce internal wave motion. Portions of these vinyl baffles were sealed to the inside walls of either the upper and/or lower surfaces of the mattress. However, any time vinyl is sealed to vinyl, the region where the seal is located is susceptible to fracturing or leaking. This can be especially troublesome when the vinyl baffle is sealed to both the bottom and top interior surfaces of the water mattress.
Another approach has been to simply insert a light weight polyurethane foam slab into the interior of the water mattress. This method was probably first used in water-filled seat cushions for reducing sloshing, but application of this technique to a larger scale (inside a water mattress for a water bed) created several problems ignored or non-existent in the water-filled seat cushions. Such a foam baffle in a water mattress for a water bed resists emptying of the water from the mattress because it absorbs a tremendous amount of water and oftentimes ends up as a 400 pound clump of foam filled with water when the mattress is emptied. In addition, the foam pad resists the flow of water purification chemicals that must be used in a water mattress. The foam pad also hampers efficient and accurate heating of the water in the water mattress by hindering the upward flow of heater warmth to the upper surface of the mattress.
A mat of latex coated pig hair has also been used as an insert inside a baby crib water mattress. Similar to sisal fibers in stiffness, the pig hair mat was to prevent the baby from sinking to the bottom of the mattress in the event of a leak. Such a stiff fibrous mat would not be practical as a baffle in a water bed mattress.
None of the above approaches effectively resists wave motion to the extent that wave motion once induced can be quickly dampened. On the other hand, a system for reducing wave motion should not stiffen the support provided by the upper surface of the mattress, thereby losing the soft and supple characteristic of a water bed mattress.
Thus, there is a need to provide a baffle for a water bed mattress that can effectively resist wave motion without stiffening the support to body weight, while permitting free flow of water purification chemicals within the mattress and without hindering the transfer of heater warmth to the upper surface of the mattress.